Lautenberg to Booker: Finish Your Work in Newark

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. walks to the Senate floor from a Democratic caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday.

By Kristina Peterson

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) may be 89 years old. He may be retiring in 2014. But he is not quietly slipping away, ceding his seat to the high-wattage Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who is expected to run for his seat.

Among other reasons, Mr. Booker has work to do in Newark, Mr. Lautenberg told reporters on Thursday, hours after announcing his plans not to run for re-election.

“I’d encourage him to finish the job that has to be done in Newark. We still have a lot of violence, still have a lot of inconvenience,” the senator said. “My office is in a building across from Penn Station there. If I try to leave the building at 6 o’clock at night, sometimes it takes 20 minutes to get out of the parking lot.”

Perhaps Mr. Lautenberg would want to try his hand running Newark? “Paterson!” Mr. Lautenberg yelped. “That’s where I was born.” Mr. Lautenberg is expected to officially announce his departure in Paterson, N.J., on Friday.